Speculations of Endgame
by DJCaps
Summary: Because she changed her major, Annie is the last of the Study Group left in Greendale. Some Annie/Jeff, some friendly Annie/Dean and Annie/Britta.
1. Chapter 1

_Jeff graduates. And so does everyone else...except Annie, who has some more semesters to finish after switching her major. It's a lonely life when everyone else moves on._

This was the crucial part. Any small movement, any nervous tick, and the entire project would be a wasted thirteen days of filing, sanding, and gluing. Though, admittedly, the aroma of rubber cement made everything not quite such a wasted effort.

Dean Pelton put pressure on the tweezers. He lifted up a tiny decal and dipped it in a small jar full of water for fifteen seconds while he hummed "Bad Romance." With a little "oh," he pulled the backing gingerly off the back of the decal. Then he placed the sticky film on the wing of his silver model plane.

"There you go," he said happily. "Our first little mark of authenticity. Fantastic."

Dean Pelton was into model planes now. He wore an aviator's cap with goggles and a disturbingly open bomber jacket.

He glanced at the plane. He blinked his eyes. "Oh," he said. "Maybe just once." He held the plane in his hand, twirled the propeller, then began swooping it up and down making sputtering sounds.

There was a knock at his door frame. It was his second favorite Greendale student, Annie Edison. He nearly dropped the plane, but managed to set it on his desk carefully.

"Come on in, Ms. Edison!" the Dean said. "Don't … don't mind the mess." He pushed aside the mess on his desk, which included some ripped up newspapers, bottles of paint, and a large number of Dalmatian figurine. He flashed his smile. "Do you dare to guess who I'm deaned up as?"

Annie wasn't in the mood, but she learned quickly that if you needed to get anything done, you had to humor the Dean. She bit her lower lip. "Amelia Earhart?"

"No," said the Dean with a pleased expression. "It's America's favorite aviator Leonardo de-…. Oh. You… you might want to move your elbow. You don't…." He said, pointing at the small model plane. "It needs to dry."

Annie sighed. "Let's cut to the chase," she said, her fingers slowly walking to tiny model plane. "I've worked very hard at this school."

"That you have."

"You know that I have only two semesters left before I graduate with a degree in Forensics, don't you?"

"That's certain. I keep a very close watch on - ANNIE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Before he knew it, Annie had her hands on the model airplane, poised to snap it in half.

"What happened to all my classes, Dean?" she said menacingly. "Why did they disappear? Is it because I'm the last member of the Study Group still here? Is that what it is? Is this some crazy trick of yours to try to keep me in school forever? Are you trying to screw me like you tried to screw Jeff?"

"No!" said the Dean panickedly. "No! I would never screw you! Wait, that came out wrong. Though, technically, true. BUT... inappropriate. Annie, please put that plane down. There's a very, very simple explanation. Can we talk about this like adults, please?"

Annie sighed, placing the plane back down. "I'm … I'm sorry," she said. "I snapped. It's just frustrating being alone here. It's just… when everyone was here, I just wanted to stay forever. But now that they've all moved on…."

"I know," said the Dean, smiling. "I miss them, too. Well. Let's start from the beginning. Do you remember when Dean Spreck tried to fill the school up with sharks?"

* * *

He never thought he'd be back here again. Three months ago, Jeff Winger had returned to Greendale. He strolled up the quad, looking left and right at the familiar buildings. There was the alternate science hall to his left. The EMG Hall to the right. Up ahead was the familiar sight of Borchert Hall, and beyond that ... the library, where, six moths ago, he'd said his goodbyes to the group once known as Spanish Study Group, later the Study Group, and sometimes as the Greendale Seven.

He looked around and recognized no one. Where was Star-Burns? Oh, right. Magnitude, Neil, Garrett, and Vicki. They were gone, too. But... alive, for all he knew. Who were all these young people?

"You auditioning to replace the Luis Guzman statue?" said a gruff, familiar voice.

"Shut up, Leonard," said Jeff. "I saw your new v-log. No one cares about Pokemon anymore. How long do you plan to keep this up?"

"There are 650 species in the Pokedex. Try to keep up," Leonard said with a grin.

Jeff entered the study room. It was empty. He ran his hand across the table. Yup, there was the spot he once chopped with an axe. The repair job was pretty expert. He bent down. Yup, there it was. "AB MENTIONS." Total tally: 84.

"I though I'd find you here, Winger," said a familiar, weaselly voice.

Jeff straightened up. "Of course you would," he said. "I texted you to meet me here, remember? So do you have it?"

The small man nodded. He pulled a Manila folder from the back of his pants. Jeff grimaced. "Do you ... really expect me to take that?"

"Just open the envelope, Winger. It's everything you asked for. You know me, bro, I'm a double agent. Double crosses, triple crosses, whatever, I'm game. This is all the evidence you need to win your case, man. Do we have a deal?"

Jeff withdrew the photographs, regarding them solemnly. Images of tunnels. Excavation equipment. And a tank full of sharks. "This is so, so stupid," he said. "God, I missed this place. Alright, we have a deal. I'll arrange with the Dean to have your records wiped clean. You just... stay out of sight, OK?"

"Chang's honor," said the strange little man, flashing a crooked smile. He took a running start and disappeared through the air vents.

Jeff straightened the pictures. He'd considered returning them to the Manila envelope, but then checked himself. That thing should be burned. He then slowly came to the realization that there was someone else in the room with him. He turned his head.

"Milady."

"Long time, no see," said Annie, her arms crossed. She regarded him with steely eyes.

"Well, you know, since I can't get back into my old law firm, it's been pretty tough getting cases around here. I've had to travel a lot."

Annie sized him up. She Approached him slowly, swaying her shoulders threateningly. (Or so she thought. Jeff actually thought it was a little comical... and adorable.). She was now inches away from his chest. She craned her neck to look up at his face, their eyes locked. "And what brings you here?"

"Oh, you know," Jeff said, his voice cracking slightly. "A favor for the dean. He asked me to look into some things. Um, stupid things."

After a few seconds, the broke their gaze, Annie's face broke into a smile as she wrapped her arms around Jeff's waist. Jeff let out a puff of air in nervous relief. His free arm drifted through Annie's dark brown hair, cradling her head.

"Thanks for the text," said Annie.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wait a minute," Annie said, "why are you telling me all this? I mean, I was there! Wait, how do you know any of this?"

"Huh?" said the Dean. He was leaning back in his chair, touching up the paint job on his model plane with a nail polish brush. He'd always known about their pliable versatility, but using them to touch up tiny little propellers? It made so much sense that the was surprised he hadn't stumbled upon it sooner. He definitely needed to subscribe to better magazines. Model Society International just wasn't up on techniques for the man on a budget.

He blew on the propeller to dry out the paint. It spun. "You just zoned out a little, Ms. Edison," said the Dean. "A sort of trance, if you will. After I mentioned Dean Spreck plan to fill the school up with sharks, you rather stopped paying attention. So I turned my attention elsewhere. A good thing, too. Do you know regional competitions are in two weeks? The winner gets their model plane displayed at the Colorado Aerospace Museum! You know, I'm starting to understand why your old Study Group loved doing these competitions so much. Scotch?"

"Uh," Annie stammered, a little confused. Dean Pelton poured a glass.

Annie realized she'd missed doing these team competitions, too. She'd tried hooking up with other groups, but none really stuck. They were too ... ingrained? She tried to study with a group of Korean students, but they seemed to have their own built in repartee and she couldn't help but feel like an outsider. She parted ways after two weeks. Which was fine … she really didn't join study groups for the studying.

Troy and Abed had gone into business together, developing virtual reality software to map out air conditioning vents using levitating position detectors. They got their idea from Prometheus. "It was the only good thing to ever come out of that movie," Abed explained. A test run had managed to locate the furry little monster living in the Greendale air vents.

Britta now had her own radio program on the AM station where she dispensed pop psychology advice to callers between 9 pm and midnight. It turned out that her response to 80% of the call in questions were "penises." It was a pretty popular show in the Greendale metropolitan area.

Shirley's sandwich shop had become a runaway success, with a franchise set to open in Denver. Business dealings kept Shirley and Pierce away from Greendale for a large part of their final semester.

She watched them stroll across the stage in their caps and gowns. She was there in the auditorium, both happy and proud yet sad that they couldn't graduate together. It wasn't going to be the same, anyway. Three months previous Jeff had already left…

"Annie?" said the Dean. "Earth to Annie." He was gently waving the glass of scotch in front of her. "So, like I was saying, Dean Spreck had bought up permits all around the grounds to dig for oil. That's how he got his hand on the earth mover equipment. The serious heavy duty stuff."

* * *

Jeff sighed. "A bananarita, Annie? What happened to the appletinis?"

"Welllll," Annie said, "a girl's tastes change, you know?"

"You're going the wrong direction," said Jeff. "Your tastes have to evolve, not devolve. Going from appletinis to bananaritas? That's regression."

Annie rolled her eyes. She squeezed the lime into her drink. He'd taken her to a nearby Cuban restaurant, one she hadn't noticed before. She was a little appalled that there was so much pork on the menu and very little in the way of other options, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. Besides, he was paying. He was just going to have to pony up a little extra for the _Parrillada de Mariscos._

"How long are you staying here this time?"

"A week, maybe two," said Jeff. "Then I have to head to Wichita for a month. It's for a property dispute. Small stuff."

Annie looked down. "Did you, you know, ever regret turning on what's-his-face from your old law firm?"

"Alan."

"Yeah. If you'd just caved in, you'd be back at your old job, and you wouldn't have to travel so much. Then maybe you could stay in Greendale a little longer…."

"Annie," Jeff said, his eyes now fixed on her, "if there's anything I learned from you - and the other guys, let's be fair - it's that some dreams aren't worth holding on to. And there's a price for keeping your soul. It's a hard road, but if it means never disappointing you and those Disney eyes of yours … then it's worth it."

Annie formed her smile tightly, small dimples forming on her chin. She picked at her food a little. Something was bothering Jeff. She could sense it.

"About that night," Jeff said, his voice becoming deeper and more fragile. "Before I graduated…."

Annie flashed a hard glance at him. "Are you going to tell me it was a mistake?" she said sternly.

"What?" Jeff said, taken aback. "No. It's just that.… I knew right then that I wouldn't be back in town for a while, and… if I ever took advantage…."

Annie gasped. "Give me some credit, Jeff," she said. "It's not always about you, you know. Did it occur to you that it was something that I wanted? For … a really long time? I mean, wow, I used to fantasize about that moment for three years. But you gave me the cold shoulder, and you pushed me away, and wow, I'm a little shocked it finally happened." She stopped herself, and she chuckled. "And it was great. So… if you're going to apologize … I just want you to shut up."

The shared a nervous laugh together, then ate their dinner in awkward silence.

"So," said Annie, finally, "what's this case you're working on?"


	3. Chapter 3

The Dean tented his fingers in contemplation. "So you see, City College put a plan in place where they would use underground tunnels, built using work permits to drill for oil, which they planned to siphon in sea water in order to flood the school with a mako sharks."

"Wait," said Annie, waving her hands. "Wait, what? Why sharks?"

"It's ridiculous," said Dean Pelton. "He's really into sharks for some reason." He kicked a stuffed dalmatian under his desk.

"That plot is ... needlessly complicated."

"Oh, I agree. Fortunately, our mutual acquaintance Jeffrey Winger also saw that the folly was so elaborate that in it's complexity the plan itself becomes unbelievable. Have you ever seen _Argo_? Where they make a fake movie because no one would ever think to enact a plan so stupid?"

"I don't think that's what the movie was about..."

"Well that's what that clever boots Stephen Spreck thought he could pull on us. It's pretty much why his previous plot to overthrow our school using a fake ice cream company never came to light. No one would ever believe that any college dean would commit to a plan so dastardly silly. Fortunately, Jeffrey managed to clear things up considerably with the help of a diorama. Here, let me show you." The Dean disappeared into his storage closet. Seconds later, boxes and old costumes were being hurled on the floor. A carnivale costume here, a fireman's outfit there.

Annie rolled her eyes. Her attention wandered to the mess of magazines on Dean Pelton's desk. One was local business trade publication entitled "Mind Your Own Business." What caught her eye was the cover: Troy and Abed, grinning their boyish grins, while holding their levitating invention in the space between them. The title: "Troy And Abed With IPO Offering!" Under that was the subheader: "Please don't mistake this as an endorsement of _Prometheus_. That movie was basically awful."

"Oh!" said the Dean, poking his head out of the closet, "that magazine just came in today. It seems our young go getters are taking their company public. Have you heard from them lately?"

"Not since they moved to Austin," Annie said. "There's apparently an office down there where young entrepreneurs can network. Last I heard they had twenty people working for them directly."

"And they did it all by coming to Greendale," the Dean said, disbelievingly. He retreated back in the closet, tossing out a Christmas-themed costume. "I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes. It's a shame that Troy didn't work out with Britta, though. That's the problem with May-December romances. They never seem to work out..."

There was an awkward silence. The Dean slowly emerged from the closet, a hang-dog look on his face.

"I'm... sorry, Annie. That came out all wrong. I didn't mean..."

"Mmmm," said Annie through pursed lips, I indicating that they drop this line of thinking.

"Right," said the Dean. He eventually emerged with a large diorama about three feet wide and two feet high. "You know, I had my doubts about Professor Oliver's diorama-centric curriculum. Who knew that some day, some one would use their mad diorama skillz to save the school."

It looked like an ant farm. Above ground was Greendale Community College. Under ground was a series of diagonal tunnels. They connected above ground to what looked like oil rigs, but built at an angle. Another tunnel linked up to a Popsicle stick building that resembled a warehouse. Inside we're little toy sharks suspended in plastic cubes.

"Though," said the Dean, unclipping some black and white photos, "the photographic evidence probably helped somewhat." He laid them on the table. They were all there: the tunnels, the earth works equipment, the oil rigs, the shark tanks.

"Whoa," said Annie, impressed. "How did Jeff even get those photos?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," said the Dean. "There are some... back door deals involved that might compromise..."

"It was Chang, wasn't it?"

"Pretty much."

"Cute," said Annie. "Very cute. But... what the hell does any of this have to do with my missing classes?!"

"Indoor voice, Ms. Edison. Well, it turns out that this evidence was all Jeffrey needed to argue his case in court that Dean Spreck had been misappropriating funds to destroy Greendale. Eventually City College's board would fire him. They lost the little government funding they had. Students began dropping out after discovering the misappropriation of tuition.

"Three months ago, City College closed its doors due to the scandal. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to the day of the trial."

* * *

Annie pulled up her old Honda in the city courthouse. She backed the car between a cherry red Lexus and a black BMW. The driver of the BMW was still in his car, and he eyed Annie's car warily. She flashed him a smile.

She would have loved to be there for Jeff's case against City College. She didn't know the particulars. Rather, Jeff had told her the basics over dinner last night, but the harder she paid attention, the more confused she got.

What she really was looking for to was to hearing Jeff Winger deliver the closing arguments. The Winger speech, as the Study Group coined it. She would never tell it to his face, but whenever his voice hardened to the point of conviction, when his face transformed into one of focused clarity, she would suddenly forget everything else that was ever on her mind and get lost in his formidable presence. It made her feel weak at the knees.

But she had midterms that day. After disposing a pair of viscera-covered gloves and spending some time in decontamination, she changed into a dress and sweater and headed to the courthouse. At the very least, she could drop off Jeff at the airport.

As she pulled into the courthouse parking lot. The trial was over. A small crowd of people gathered at the courthouse steps. Dean Spreck of City College and Jeff Winger were sizing each other up. Jeff was holding a diorama under one arm.

"There's one thing I don't get, Dean Spreck," Jeff asked. "Well, other than the stupidity of the entire plot. I get the tunnels running under the school. I get buying up oil drilling rights as a cover. But ... why sharks?"

Dean Spreck regarded Jeff Winger with fierce eyes, as if he were a hawk sizing up his prey. His lips curled in scorn. "Well," he finally said, "I guess there are secrets even the great Jeff Winger can never uncover. Anne," he said coldly, flashing a low glance at her as he passe dher down the stairs.

Dean Pelton burst from the courthouse doors. "You did it!" Dean Pelton said, throwing his arms around Jeff's waist. Jeff winced involuntarily. "But of course you did it. I never, ever doubted you for a second Jeffrey. This calls for some celebration! Chardonnay, No Reservations marathon, if you catch my drift," he said, poking a Jeff's abs and winking slyly. Jeff glared. "No need to be coy," the Dean said, backing off.

"Sorry, Dean, but I've got other plans. Flights to catch. Here, you can keep this," Jeff said, handing the diorama. "A souvenir. Besides, there's a strict coolness restriction on luggage."

Annie squeezed Jeff's elbow. "So I take it went well?"

"I still have no idea if I just dreamed up the whole thing," said Jeff. "It got a little surreal. Your midterm?"

"Aced it, of course. You are looking at a future world famous detective who just successfully dislodged a bullet from a human brain without spilling an ounce of cranial fluid in under five and a half minutes," Annie said proudly.

"Wow," Jeff said, his eyes widening. "You know, Annie, when we first met, I always assumed you were the kind of girl who'd faint at the sight of blood."

"Well, maybe I'm creepier than you think I am."

"If I'd known that, I would've suggested going as Gomez and Morticia Addams for Halloween."

"Oh. Who?"

They passed a crowd of well-dressed lawyers i expensive suits. Jeff followed them with his eyes. They reached Annie's gray 1984 Honda hatchback. The liftgate was a little stuck, and Jeff had to prop his foot on the side of the car to get it open. He slid his briefcase next to his luggage. His jacket snagged on a spot of rust. He contemplated the frayed threads on his sleeve. On a whim, he looked under the car. There was a dark spot underneath. Oil? Maybe it was an old spot, but maybe it was from this car.

Annie honked the horn. She rolled down the window. "Come on, Jeff! Your flight leaves in an hour!"

"That's more than enough time."

"Well, you never know when they're going to suspect you to a random security check," she said. "And I always tell you to check in online, but you never do it."

"It's a regional jet with 'Value' in the title," Jeff said. "I'll on and off the plane in five minutes." He sat himself in the passenger seat.

Annie regarded him questioningly. "What's the matter."

Jeff sighed. He took Annie's right hand and placed it in his. "Can we just talk?"

Annie gulped. "Oh, God," she said. She choked a little. "Oh, God."

Jeff was taken aback. "Wait. Wait. What is this?"

"This is going to be the 'I've been cheating on you with another woman' speech, isn't it?"

"What?!" said Jeff. "No. NO! I mean, why would you even think..."

"I don't know," Annie said with a mix of relief and nerves. "It's just that when you're gone, I think these things." She dabbed her eyes with her sweater sleeves. "I mean, you know how elaborate my fantasy life gets! I've actually run this scenario three or four times in my head already. One time, I even smeared some lipstick on one of your old shirts to see what it would look like. I mean, I never know who you're texting when I'm not around."

Jeff couldn't help but be amused. "Annie, let me assure you that I haven't slept with, or dated, another woman in two years. This might not seem like a big deal to you, but trust me, this is the farthest I have ever gotten in a monogamous relationship. I never, ever want to be the reason why you're unhappy." He turned to look at Annie. Her eyes fluttered. Those large pupils, which could melt the heart of any man, seemed to shine.

"But?" said Annie.

"But..." Jeff replied slowly, "I feel like I'm failing you." He gestured around the car, with the stained roof and the worn seat fabric. "When I graduated early, I was hoping to take you away from all this. But you're still driving the same old Honda, and I'm traveling the country just trying to take whatever jobs I can find. I don't even know if I have a future. And here you are, a gorgeous, vivacious woman, living what should be the best years of your life. If I'm the guy that's holding you back..."

"Jeff," Annie said, squeezing his hand. The sides of her mouth curled tentatively. "I never asked you to be my knight in shining armor." She laid her hand softly on his back shoulder, slowly moving her fingers toward his neck. "There is something you keep forgetting about me, though. Do you remember that night our first year of college together. I was about to transfer to another school, but I came back. And you were standing there outside?"

Jeff smiled stroking Annie's arm. "How could I forget?"

Slowly, she drew their faces together. She felt the mist of his hot breath on her lips. He wrapped his hand around the small of her back, where he pressed his palm against the soft fabric of her sweater. They brought their lips together in a kiss. She felt the prickliness of his stubble against her cheek. Jeff craned his neck for a better angle and their lips came together a second time.

Her eyes closed, Annie brought her lips to Jeff's ear and whispered, "I was the one who kissed you first."


	4. Chapter 4

"It turns out though that The government just deemed City College too big to fail. They weren't ready to make it a state college, though, since Colorado State has some influential schools in the area. Long story short, an arbitrator had some talks with our board of directors, blah blah blah blah boring business stuff, and City College is now an official Greendale Annex school!"

"Um, did you say 'blah blah blah', or was I just zoning out?"

"Oh, no, I did say... actual business terms. Like synergy. And market capital. And hole... punchers. That's not the point, though. Here's the important part: City College had much better facilities than we have here. No surprise. So we have been in the process of transferring all of your classes to the brand new Greendale Community College Law Enforcement Annex! And Cooking Annex. And Information Technology Annex. They are seriously equipped.

"The computer system isn't up to date yet, though, so you should try next week when we have an idea where all the classes are.

"Seriously, the campus over there? Huge."

"Wow," said Annie. "That makes sense. But why didn't you just tell me that thirty minutes ago? You could've save yourself a lot of time."

The Dean started to sob. "I don't know!" He cried. "Maybe it's because you never come up to the office anymore. It was just... so nice to talk to one of you again. It's just been ... so hard on me since everyone graduated! Troy, and Jeffrey, and Shirley, and Britta, and Abed, and Pierce, and Jeffrey. They all moved on and left me behind! It's just not fair! You're all I have left!"

He put his face in his palms and wept openly. Annie tentatively walked to his side to the desk.

"And Jeffrey sold his apartment," he added. He bit his lower lip, fighting back his tears. "It's like he's avoiding me!"

Annie stop

Awkwardly, Annie cradled the sobbing Dean's head and caressed his cheek. "Shhhh," she whispered, trying to calm him down. "Shhhhh." She felt that she should sing him a lullabye. The only song that came to mind, though, was something from the Smashing Pumpkins, whose title excaped her at the moment:

_Is it bright where you are _  
_Have the people changed _  
_Does it make you happy you're so strange _  
_And in your darkest hour _  
_I hold secrets flame _  
_We can watch the world devoured in it's pain_

It did the trick. After choking down one last sob, Dean Pelton dried his eyes. "Thank you, Annie," he said, regaining his composure. "Sometimes all you need is a good cry. Back to the business at hand. You of all people shouldn't worry about graduating on time, Ms. Edison. You'll just be taking your last two semesters at a new building is all."

Annie smiled sympathetically. "I'll miss you too, Dean."

Dean Pelton nodded. "It's been a rough month," he said apologetically. "But rest assured, Annie Edison, that no one wants to see you graduate more than I do."

Annie cocked her head. Not true.

"In fact," said Dean Pelton, picking up the receiver from the phone on his desk, "I will do you one better. I'll give a heads up to Vice Dean Chang that you're coming."

"That's not really necessar-... WAIT, WHAT?!"

* * *

Annie stirred the spaghetti with a wooden spoon until the noodles were nice and soft. She'd heard that if you fling a noodle to the wall and it stuck, that's when you know it was done. She never tried it. Not that these walls weren't already in bad shape already; a few noodles stuck to it would've actually improved the ambiance. But she couldn't ever commit to something so unsanitary. She'd stick to the eggtimer app on her phone instead. Next to the cooking pot, she browned some ground turkey, adding some rosemary and pepper. In a smaller pot simmered a thick tomato sauce with garlic and black olives.

When it was all done, she poured everything into a plastic bowl and mixed things up. She plopped herself in front of the couch, popped on Netflix, and settled down for some Korean soap operas.

It was an awful lot of work, but it distracted her from how empty the apartment was.

Troy and Abed had taken off to Austin some weeks ago. Troy had actually left earlier when he moved in with Britta for a short period of time. Abed stayed around, but he kept mostly to himself. Trying to keep up with his thought process was a Herculean task. She could never understand how Troy could do it. Of course, she was something of a control freak, and Troy was far more easy-going. It was actually a bit of relief when Britta would should up for her counseling sessions. Out of everyone in the group, she was the one who would give Abed no quarter on his more rigid tendencies.

Speaking of Britta... Annie gazed at the clock. Half past nine. She only listened to Britta's show on and off, but she really needed someone to talk to right now. She tapped her fingers. Well, there was a first time for everything. She dialed the call-in number on her phone.

Britta picked up. "Britta Perry in the Evvvveeenning!" she chimed. She had written permission (on an index card with magic marker) from Troy and Abed to use that jingle. "Good evening, caller! And who am I talking to?"

Annie nervously pursed her lips.

"Hello?"

"Uh, yeah," said Annie, in a deep, gruff voice. "My name is Carl." She looked around. "Spaghetti. Carl Spaghetti. I'm Italian. Long time lis'ner, foist time calla."

"OK, Carl," Britta said. "Nice to hear from long time fans, as always. I'm listening."

"I'm having relationship problems," Annie said, trying to maintain the voice. "I'm seeing this guy... or girl... no, let's stick with guy..."

"Uh huh."

"... who's got a tough time sticking around. I love this guy, and I'm sure he loves me, but it's tough to build a relationship of trust when he's gone for long stretches."

"I see."

"Everything's telling me I should break up with him. He's telling me I should break up with him. And I'm sorta seeing his point. It's ... lonely when he's not around. But I can't."

"Because some men you just can't get over, am I right?"

"Yeah!" said Annie, breaking her gruff facade. "Uh, yeah," she said, returning to the voice.

"Well," said Britta, "in this case, usually I have a pretty stock litany of things to say. Let him go, and he doesn't come back, then the problem is him, not you! Let him fly, and if he doesn't come back then that's his problem."

"Yeah," said Annie, a little crestfallen. "I thought so."

"But," said Britta, "I'm going to give you some different advice. It sounds like this thing between you and this guy, it's pretty special right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"You've known him for a while, haven't you?"

"Pretty... pretty long, yeah."

"It's just a tough stretch you're going through. If he loves you, and you love him, it would be a shame to throw that all away to settle for a situation where neither of you are happy. I think what you really need is to meet up with old friends. When was the last time you met some friends at a bar, or watched a movie?"

"I just don't have time, with all the study-... I mean, long hours at the construction site."

"Then make some time! I would. Maybe you've gotten withdrawn because everyone's leaving you, but you don't need no make it worse by abandoning them, too. Relationships take hard work, you know what I'm saying?"

"I think I do," said Annie, relieved. "Thanks, Britta."

"Well, good luck, Annie. Uh, I mean Carl. Spaghetti. Ohh-kay. Next caller!"


	5. Chapter 5

Annie parked her car in the student lot of the campus formerly known as City College. Just beyond the quad were the three main buildings. A tall, six story building loomed in the center. Two smaller buildings flanked it on the left and the right. It was a far more lush campus than Greendale, which, despite its name, was sometimes so parched it seemed like it was in a dried out patch of land somewhere in Southern California.

After locking the door to her car, Annie slung her backpack over her shoulder. It was a new beginning again, only this time there wasn't much she'd leave behind. She'd probably miss Leonard, though.

She strolled toward the main building, feeling like it was her first day of college all over again. To her surprise, walking in the opposite direction was Jeff Winger.

The two met in the middle, exchanging confused glances. The silence was broken by the sound of the sprinkler system irrigating the lawn.

"What are you doing here?" they asked at the same time.

"I'm a student here," Annie said. "I'm supposed to attend class at this campus."

"That's ironic," said Jeff. "I'm a professor here." He showed her the leather patches on the elbows of his jacket. "See? Total professor wear."

"Wow," said Annie, her eyes darting up from Jeff's elbows to his face. "This is going to get awkward again, isn't it?"

Jeff seemed a little amused and perplexed. "It wouldn't be the first student-teacher relationship I've been in. Though, if I remember correctly, there's going to be some paperwork involved."

"I... wow," Annie stammered. "I really didn't think I'd see you again for a while. Why... how..."

"Dean Pelton called me up," he said. "He told me about Greendale's all new campus. He also offered me a job. It seems that there were more than a new teacher openings for his brand new Law Annex. I told him that I didn't even know community colleges were allowed to offer courses in law. Still, I was more than happy to do it."

"But... your job. As a lawyer? You haven't quit your dreams, have you?"

Jeff shrugged his shoulders. "What dreams?" He bent his head downward, trying to think of the words to explain what he was thinking. "I haven't really given up being a lawyer, Annie. But... I discovered that I wanted more than just standing in front of a jury and delivering the closing arguments and winning a case. Those things are still fun. But... compared to being with you..."

He looked at Annie. She was absently twirling her hair, her eyes pleading him to go on.

"You know," said Jeff, "this isn't easy for me to say. But ... I'm willing to give up just a part of those dreams if that means you're going to be the one near me."

Their eyes met. Annie eventually broke off, looking on the ground and taking in a sharp breath.

"Of course," said Jeff, "that doesn't me that I can't be both a lawyer and a teacher. I don't think I have a problem doing both."

"Oh, really," teased Annie.

"Yeah! It's not like being a teacher here ever took much time or preparation."

Annie snorted. "You're going to be a horrible professor."

"Thanks for the moral support," said Jeff sarcastically. "I'll take what cases I can here in town. There's definitely going to be fewer of them. Like I said, a community college lawyer doesn't have much pull."

"They'll find out," said Annie encouragingly. "Once juries hear your Winger speech, they'll be lining around the block." She gazed at Jeff adoringly, forcing him to break into a wide smile.

"It'll take a year, probably, to rebuild my rep. But if it means not having to travel anymore, that's not so bad. Here, I get to work with Shirley and Pierce on expanding their sandwich shop."

"And you get to corrupt the next generation of young minds?"

"A side benefit. When it comes down to it, Greendale is where I belong."

Annie touched his elbow. "I'm glad you're staying," she said.

"Out of the way, you screws!" Vice Principal Chang screamed. Jeff grabbed Annie around the shoulders and moved her to safety. Chang passed by, dressed in a Soviet officer's uniform, and riding his moed. He raised a mallet while he zoomed by, cackling.

The moment passed, Annie raised her eyes and met Jeff's.

"This has the potential to be a uniquely Greendale experience," Annie said with a grin. Jeff turned to look at her. Why did that sound so familiar?

Annie put her hand in the crook of Jeff's arm flirtatiously. "Milord."

Jeff smiled back. "Milady."

Arm in arm, they passed through the main entrance together.

* * *

In the library study room, Pierce Hawthorne was sitting at the Study Group table, coming in early like he did every time during his last semester. A spot of light struck him. That had never happened before. Within seconds, he began yawning. He stretched his arms. Tilting his head back, he fell asleep, loudly snoring.

Abed nodded, giving Troy the signal. Troy pocketed the mirror he had used to focus the beam of light on Pierce's forehead. He leapt down from the bookshelf. He and Abed slapped their own chests and slapped their free hands together, a sign for a job well done.

They closed on Pierce, Abed on the left, Troy on the right.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Troy whispered.

"It's the only way to tell if the virtual reality software can be activated by facial ticks," Abed replied in his monotone voice. He placed a black box on the table. "Due to his age, Pierce's skin in the least sensitive, thus he has far less chance of waking up."

Abed affixed the first suction cup, attached to a curly wire leading to an EKG meter, onto Pierce's forehead. When Pierce didn't wake up, he attached a second on his cheek.

"This is maybe taking things too far," said Troy. "Maybe we should have stayed at home."

"Did you really think I was gonna sit in a boardroom for years arguing over who was in charge while you go look for some miracle on some godforsaken rock in the middle of space?" Abed said, sticking a third suction cup on the opposite cheek. "A king has his reign, and then he dies. It's inevitable. That is natural order of things."

He looked at Troy, and they both nodded. He threw a switch on the box, which powered up with a "FWWWWOOMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPPP..."

Suddenly, Pierce woke up, screaming.

"Cut it off!" screamed Troy. "Cut it off! We were so very wrong!"

Pierce turned his head, first screaming at Abed, then screaming at Troy. The two took a flying leap and ran out of the study room.

"Damn it!" screamed Pierce, clawing at the suction cups on his face. "For the last time, I am NOT your ENGINEER!"


End file.
